This story originally appeared on the Gents Cafe Newsletter. You can subscribe here.
It is a distinctly American drink with a name that comes from French royalty.
It is made with water filtered by only limestone shelf in a country famed for environmental majesty and splendor. It is a pioneering drink of revolutionaries and outlaws that is one of the world’s most heavily regulated and most frequently taxed. It is alcoholic and yet made in a state where there are still counties where alcohol is prohibited. It was drank on the homestead porches of settlers, in saloons and in the Pendennis Club where it would become the first cocktail.
It is a rural drink borne from agrarian roots that is urbane enough to be a necessity in any metropolitan cocktail bar. It is drank in groups and by loners; by aristocrats and workmen; enjoyed by rebels and yankees, cowboys and astronauts. It is a warming drink often drank with ice. It is a strong drink that tastes mellow. It is a brown drink that offers the palate all the colours of fireworks on the 4th of July.
It is at its most complex when drank neat yet offers the widest range of flavours in cocktails.
It is Kentucky Bourbon.
Bourbon is a distillation of all that is American.
Born out of the land, of hard work, of a desire to live the best life one can. Its character comes from the fire and char of its history, a mash of differences, a barrel of contradictions, all coming together in something that is more than the sum of its parts.
It is something to be thankful for.
Stir, strain and sip your way through this Bourbon Masterclass | Cocktail Hour, hosted by Gents Cafe together with Maker’s Mark.
Educational and entertaining, this online experience will take you on a journey into the fascinating world of Bourbon, garnished with inspiring stories around it, as you learn how to make a selection of bourbon-based cocktails to help you expertly serve friends and family – or even just yourself.
This free Masterclass is limited to 50 spots – reserve yours and get ready to be transported into a Private Club with other like-minded gentlemen.
All from the comfort of your living room.
P.S. Don’t forget the jigger and the mixing glass.